I have used both tubbs and atlas and had no complaints..............you can direct mount your racing flats on them as well if you want to do any races with them. There are other brands that are good as well, but I have no experience with them, though I have an old pair of Red Feather's which have worked well.

I haven't snowshoed but am thinking of starting this year. Was told it is very good for the run and bike muscles without the impact of running, alot of coaches prescribe/recommend it. No clue on which shoes to buy tho.

SNOWSHOES ARE WAY OVERRATED. I have a pair of Redfeathers (the running ones), they are very nice but they just push through the snow UNLESS you have access to a XC-skiing venue and a groomed trail with packed snow. The few times I used them on a packed trail I loved them but on my local trail after a good snow they are useless.

Dave from VA

I snowshoe during the winter on groomed nordic ski trails at Snoqualmie Pass, near Seattle. Snowshoe running rocks.

I have the Atlas Dual Trac SLs. They're titanium and super, super light.

$300 retail, so go to www.argear.com or similar to find the best deal.

Racing snowshoes are not desgined to offer much float, so if you are going backcountry buy something bigger and don't expect to run as much.

Ciao

ISSAQUAH

You can get asymetrical one's for running but I have never tried them. We have MSR snowshoes, absolutely the most bomb-proof on the market. I also love the fact that when the snow gets deep or you are carrying a lot of weight you can snap on "tails" that extend the snowshoes, providing added surface area and much better float. Whoever said they are overrated must have be referring to running in them because for generall hiking they are the best. We usually ski all morning and then take our dogs out to snowshoe for a few hours, mostly at Donner Summit just west of Truckee, CA. It's actually part of the Pacific Crest Trail. The south side of hwy 80 is off limits to snowmobiles so it's quite tranquel.

Enjoy,

Karma

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Dave Stark
dreamcatcher@astound.net
USAC & USAT level 2 certified coach

i know that sierra trading post just had a great deal on them i bought my boyfriend a set for christmas- thinking ahead- for 70$- i think that they were redfeather- i use tubbs and love 'em!! with a set of cc ski poles you can't go wrong to get an upper body workout...

i think that campmor had a similar deal- i love using them, a great low impact alternative day workout!!! my legs/ hipflexors are usually sore the next day

I run in the North Cascades of Washington state (lucky me!). I highly recommend the Tubbs 10K (model name has changed I believe). They are asymmetrical and very light. I tried running in the MSR's and they felt like I was wearing cement shoes in comparison. I have not tried the Atlas or the Red Feather, but I believe the Tubbs are lighter than either one.

"It is never too late to fix your childhood!" Tom Robbins

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Dean Wilson
http://www.anaerobiczone.com
Bicycle Protection Indoors & Out

The other option are Northernlites which often seem to get overlooked:



http://northernlites.com



If you're planning on running then I'd go for the Extremes.



John

I'll second the vote for the Tubbs 10k or its replacement. I actually think the old 10k is nicer than the new shoes, but they may be tough to get. Both on packed trails and on fresh snow they are a lot of fun, you're not going very fast in packed snow but it is a hell of a workout. Especially for the hip flexors.

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Gerard Vroomen
3T.bike
OPEN cycle

Emphatic second on the MSR offering. They are frequently overlooked because they don't look like the others on the rack.

I spend a lot of time all over the Colorado Rockies (half Western Slope|half all over RMNP) and have found the MSR Ascents to be spectacular.

The new TUBBS running model is the Catalyst. It is a really good shoe. They also have a carbon thermoplastic shoe (pirhana) which is a great shoe, but rather expensive. The best part of the TUBBS is that they have a lifetime warranty. If you ever break them, you send them back and get them repaired or replaced. This is really good so that you dont worry about using them in some not so great snow cover, ice, rocky areas, etc. They can take more abuse than some of the other ultralight weight running shoes that are on the market. I have run and raced in TUBBS for about 10 years or so, and I am very happy with them. They are a bit small for running in 3+ feet of fresh powder, but if you are going out for a workout and there is that much snow, then street running is probably out anyway. Besides, it gives you a better workout with the resistance.

I definately have to say that winter snowshoeing has allowed me to stay relatively competitive the past five years or so. I have been able to put in very little training, and results have been pretty good. You really come off a year of snowshoeing with an increadible amount of fitness. There have been three papers (yes, peer review in journals...I have to look around to get the references) which actually show that snowshoeing increased VO2 FOR RUNNING more than just run training! Not only that, but you definately feel stronger after running in snowshoes (probably due to the added extra weight of the snowshoes).

Just a couple recommendations:

-get a pair of those really short gaiters to go around your ankles to prevent your shoes from getting snow in them.

-dont attach shoes directly to the snowshoes. I have tried many different configurations, and have been unhappy with all of them. The closest that I have come is using x-c spikes, and drilling the snowshoe and screwing them into the spike holes

-use a stiff topped shoe. It helps so that you dont bruise the top of the foot when you cinch down the straps; or alternatively they allow you to have a tighter strap on your foot.

-go snowshoeing by time, not distance.

-heart rate monitors are really good for snowshoe workouts

-hills are fun. find them, and run them.

-you will warm up VERY quickly when snowshoeing, so make sure that you dress in layers that you can strip

If I think of any more, Ill write back.



Stephen J

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I believe my local reality has been violated.
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Happiness = Results / (Expectations)^2